England team was bugged says FA - what’s on tape?

It could only happen in a World Cup year. After the John Terry, Wayne Bridge saga and Ashley Cole's misfortunes on and off the pitch, Fabio Capello has been dealt two more blows as another of his squad was struck down with a long-term injury and an illegal recording of an England team meeting came to light.

The FA have launched an investigation into how spies somehow recorded six hours of conversations involving players and coaching staff at England's hotel before the match against Egypt.

It appears that the tapes have been offered to the press, but newspapers have been told not to publish them.  The FA sent out a letter to the media yesterday warning them that making the contents of the illicit recordings public would be illegal and represent a breach of Press Complaints Commission rules and the Data Protection Act.

Although the press have heeded the warning, there has been plenty of speculation about what actually appears on the tapes. It is claimed that England players can be heard discussing bonuses for winning in South Africa. There are also suggestions that players joke about sex scandals on the recording, while Capello is overheard discussing tactics.

The England manager, whose reign had been relatively trouble free until recently, is now discovering just how difficult the build up to a major tournament can be.

The Times goes as far as to suggest that the disciplinarian manager now harbours a "growing suspicion that the English media and public are intent on undermining the team's chances in South Africa."

There was more bad news for Capello when it emerged that the 'curse of the metatarsal' had returned. The first victim this year appears to be Manchester United defender Wes Brown, who faces at least two months out and a fight to be fit for the summer after breaking a bone in his left foot.

The metatarsal has been something of an Achilles Heel for England in recent years. Among the players to have suffered such injuries on the eve of World Cups have been David Beckham in 2002, and Wayne Rooney in 2006, although both made it to the tournaments. ·